1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drying apparatus, and more particularly to a drum washing machine and a clothes dryer using a thermoelectric module.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, there are a drum washing machine, a clothes dryer and the like as apparatuses for drying clothes.
A drum washing machine performs a washing process by rotating a drum to repeatedly lift and drop clothes, and a drying process by blowing hot air heated by a heater into the drum to evaporate water in dehydrated clothes.
A clothes dryer is an apparatus for drying wet objects by blowing hot air heated by a heater into a drum. The clothes dryer is classified into a vented gas clothes dryer and a condensing clothes dryer according to a method of processing wet air generated when drying the wet objects.
The vented gas clothes dryer is configured to discharge the wet air flowing out of the drum. The condensing clothes dryer is configured to remove water by condensing the wet air flowing out of the drum in a condenser and supply water-removed dry air into the drum for re-circulation.
Meanwhile, when purchasing electric home appliances, consumers consider convenient function, stylish design, reasonable price and the like. Besides, the consumers prudently consider an energy consumption efficiency grade. The energy consumption efficiency grade consists of 1˜5th grade, and the 1st grade product is the best energy-saving product. A yellow grade label is attached to a front or side face of the product to be easily identified by the consumers. The 1st grade product saves about 30˜40% more energy than the 5th one. Because the easiest way for the consumers to save energy is to choose the energy efficient products, manufactures will strive to develop energy saving technologies if the consumers prefer to buy the energy efficient products.
However, the conventional drying apparatus has a shortcoming that energy efficiency is low and drying time is long.
Accordingly, an energy efficient drying apparatus using a heat pump has been recently developed.
However, the drying apparatus using the heat pump is necessarily equipped with a compressor for constituting a heat pump cycle, which causes problems of high costs and noise. Also, because the heat pump cycle structurally occupies large space, overall size of the product becomes large and weight becomes heavy.
Further, because of the WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment) for the purpose of making producers of electrical and electronic equipment responsible for the environmental impact of their products, especially when they become waste, and ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) environmental regulations, the drying apparatus using the heat pump has problems that cost of disposing thereof is increased and only environmentally friendly refrigerant must be used.
In case of the conventional condensing drying apparatus, because it is additionally equipped with a cooling water supply conduit or an outdoor air supply conduit for supplying cooling water or cold outdoor air for condensation, structure of the condensing drying apparatus becomes complicated.
In order to solve the above problems of the conventional drying apparatus using the heat pump and the conventional condensing drying apparatus, the development of new condensation type drying apparatus is needed.